Get Out Alive // Draco Malfoy

>>35<<

At dinner there was no other topic than Harry Potter and how he had made it into the Triwizard Tournament. On the one hand, it was annoying because no one really talked about anything else and no one would come up with a logical explanation anyway, but on the other hand, this time it wasn't me and Malfoy or me and Fred that was the number one topic of every single conversation. However, I had to admit that I too was curious as to how this could have happened and doubted that it was actually Harry himself, who entered him to the Tournament. After all, he had had more than enough stress over the last few years, if the stories of the other students were to be believed, and would certainly have been happy to have a normal school year. At least, if I were him, I would have liked to have a school year that didn't end with me lying in the hospital wing because I had risked my life for something, and the Triwizard Tournament is extremely dangerous.

"What do you think, Anna?" I was snapped out of my thoughts by David's voice and looked at my friends in confusion.

"What do I think about what? I'm sorry, I wasn't listening," I admitted honestly, giving the round an apologetic smile.

"Well how Potter made it into the tournament.", Zabini enlightened me, "Aging potion obviously wasn't it after we saw what happened to your new boyfriend." I rolled my eyes in annoyance as Zabini alluded to Fred, calling him my boyfriend. He just liked meddling in other people's affairs - especially their love lives - far too much, that gossip girl.

"Oh God, Zabini, he's not my boyfriend. We are friends, yes but nothing more. Don't make such a drama out of it again," I said wanly, preferring to turn to David's question. "I have absolutely no idea how it is possible that Harry can take part in the tournament. But something can't be right about the whole thing, you have to be tired of life to want to enter there."

"Didn't your brother want to enter the tournament too?" joked Lia with a slight grin.

"Yeah but I wasn't thrilled about it. You know that.", I laughed at her stupid comment.

"Why don't you ask Granger if she knows anything," Malfoy interjected now. "Since you've been hanging out with the Weasley scum, you see the trio of complete idiots all the time, don't you?" he scoffed, but that only made me angry.

"How do you manage to insult so many people in one breath, Malfoy?", I asked irritably, sighing loudly. He was smiling arrogantly by now and winking at me as if he was proud of it too... well, he probably was. But against all expectations, I thought his idea of asking Hermione was quite good after all. Since I've been around the twins and thus the Gryffindors more often, I've actually talked to her more often. I didn't know if we could be called friends, but we got along better than most people thought. So I decided to pick Hermione up after dinner to talk to her about it, maybe she would tell me something.

When I saw that Harry, Ron and Hermione had finished eating, I quickly devoured the rest of the food on my plate - it took me ages to eat because of all the back and forth between Zabini and I about whether I was with Fred or not - I said goodbye to the others and left the Great Hall just like the Gryffindors. I hurried to catch up with the three of them, as they had a bit of a head start after all, but just as I was about to follow them into a corridor, I was stopped.

"I need to talk to you," my brother said as he got in my way.

"Ethan, what is it this time?", I asked annoyed, trying to look past him so I wouldn't lose sight of the trio. "I'm busy, can't it wait?"

"No it can't.", Ethan hissed menacingly.

"Alright.", I sighed, because I had already lost sight of Hermione and the boys as they ran into some other hallway. "What's the problem this time?"

"What's the problem, Anna? You should know that perfectly well," he snorted angrily. I don't think I've ever seen my brother this angry. All I did now was stare at him, because I was too intimidated to even move. But when Ethan just continued to glare at me and I saw his nostrils flare with anger, I gathered my courage and asked him again what he was talking about.

"Ethan, I really don't know what you're talking about. And can we maybe not argue about something in the middle of the hallway this time? It doesn't have to be all of Hogwarts knowing why you're mad at me again now."

"Whatever you say." he growled, putting on a fake laugh as he opened the nearest door and lovingly shoved me into the room that turned out to be a broom closet. Sometimes I was really envious of only children who didn't have to deal with that sort of thing.

"Do you like him?" asked Ethan with a cold expression on his face, causing me to furrow my eyebrows in confusion.

"Who? Fred? I mean... yeah... kind of... so we're friends but -" I said, irritated by what the problem was and was quickly interrupted.

"Don't play dumb with me, Anna. I'm talking about Malfoy!"

"What?" I asked, trying to sound as confident as possible, but breaking eye contact between us and trying to focus on something else in the small room.

"Did I stutter? I want to know if you have something going on with Malfoy?" he repeated, emphasising each word.

Quickly, I shook my head. "What makes you think that?"

"Well, for one thing, you sit together at every meal -"

"Yes, because we just have the same friends. Why would I make other friends just because Malfoy is there too and we're just in the same year?", I interrupted him and justified myself, hoping that this was the end of the conversation.

"Alright, I get it. But that doesn't explain why a little - what are they called... Hupplefluff... never mind, the ones with the yellow colours and the badger -"

"Hufflepuff.", I corrected my brother, to which he just scowled at me.

"Thanks you smartass. Yeah, some little Hufflepuff told his friends at the lake that you he saw you and Malfoy making out. He did ask his friends not to tell anyone but I was on my way to the ship with Laurean and Vik and I overheard what they said. So tell me the truth." His voice was suddenly eerily calm but loud at the same time

"I don't like him. That's insane, Ethan," I shouted at him in frustration. Mentally, though, I was already going through the various curses I was going to hurl at this lousy little Hufflepuff.

"Oh yeah, what is it then? Are you guys dating? Just casual hookups? Or are you going to lie to me again and say there's nothing going on between the two of you? Also, what's up with this Fred guy? I thought you liked him?" Ethan was now getting loud as well, asking me question after question.

"But it's nothing! We've kissed a few times. So what? What's it to you anyway?" He cringed as the words left my mouth. He was probably hoping to hear something completely different from me or that I would deny everything.

"When did you kiss a few times?"

"Last year in detention for the first time and you obviously know about the other time," I answered his question.

"Last year already?" he exclaimed in horror, "What's wrong with you anyway?"

"Do you think I planned all this? I didn't think it would ever happen nor will it ever happen again, ok?", I shouted, annoyed at my brother's constant meddling in my affairs.

"Then why did it happen again?" he asked bluntly but I didn't answer him because I didn't know why myself. "I didn't expect that from you, Anna. I'm just trying to help you not make the wrong decisions." When my brother said that, he sounded more hurt than angry, which gave my heart a little stab. Ethan had always been a bit overprotective in that way but at the same time he was always putting me under pressure, which never ended well.

"You're not me, Ethan! Let me make my own decisions. You don't get to decide if they're wrong, only I do! Besides, you're my brother and not my boyfriend so stay out of my life already!", I yelled and saw his face stiffen for a second before he looked at me coldly.

"Whatever you say," he said quietly and left me standing alone in the broom closet, already regretting every word I had said.